A Note on Taylor's Electrohydrodynamic Theory

Author(s): O. O. Ajayi
Source: Proceedings of the Royal Society of London. Series A, Mathematical and Physical
Sciences, Vol. 364, No. 1719 (Dec. 29, 1978), pp. 499-507
Published by: The Royal Society
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Proc. R. Soc. Lond. A. 364, 499-507 (1978)
Printed in Great Britain

A note on Taylor's electrohydrodynamictheory

BY 0. 0. AJAYI
Engineering Analysis Unit, University of Lagos, Yaba-Lagos, Nigeria

(Communicated by T. G. Cowling, F.R.S. - Received 18 May 1978)

The induced motion and deformation of a conducting drop suspended in

another conducting fluid and subjected to an electric field are studied,
paying particular attention to the boundary conditions to be satisfied at
the surface of the deformed drop. By satisfying these conditions more
accurately than was done in previous work an increase in drop defor-
mation is found which partly explains the discrepancy between theory
and experiment. However, the smallness of an expansion parameter s in
practice precludes any great reduction in the discrepancy.

1. INTRODUCTION
Electrohydrodynamic phenomena are of interest in a wide variety of scientific and
engineering applications. These include among many more, high speed printing and
space propulsion (Hendricks i962), determination of the rate of adjustment of
surface films, measurement of surface tension forces and particle size distributions in
liquid aerosols (O'Konski & Thacker I953), the biological separation of living and
dead cells (Crane & Pohl I968) and meteorology (Sartor I954).
In recent years several workers have considered the balance of stresses at the
surface of a drop under the action of an electric field. A non-conducting drop im-
mersed in a non-conducting medium always takes up a prolate spheroidal form
when subjected to an electric field (O'Konski & Thacker I953, Garton & Krasnucki
i964); the same applies also if the drop is conducting (Taylor I964). In these two
cases the electric field exerts a purely normal stress at the drop surface, and a static
state is possible in which this stress is balanced by surface tension. However, Taylor
(i966) pointed out that when both the drop fluid and the surrounding medium are
conducting there is in addition a tangential stress acting at the drop surface: this
has to be balanced by a viscous stress arising from an induced flow.
Taylor considered a uniform incompressible liquid drop suspended in a neutrally
buoyant state in a uniform incompressible liquid medium with no surfactants. Let
cr, ,t, e and &c,Al,e denote the electrical conductivity, viscosity and permittivity in
the medium and the drop, and let
R = -/&, M = Tot/,u Q = ef.(1
Taylor found that the drop takes a prolate or oblate spheroidal form according as the
discriminant A is positive or negative, where
A = 1 + R2- 2R2Q+ 5R(1-RQ) (2 + 3M)f(1 + I) (2)
[ 499 ]

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 500 0. 0. Ajayi
(for the corrected form of Taylor's original expression for A, see Melcher & Taylor
I969). In an experimental investigation, Torza, Cox & Mason (I97I) verified this
prediction, but found measured deformations in most cases greater than the
theoretical. There is at present no accepted explanation of the discrepancy. Here
we re-examine the basis of Taylor's theory.

2. FORMULATION OF THE PROBLEM

Spherical polar coordinates (r, 0, 5) are used, with origin at the centre of the drop.
A uniform electric field is applied to the system, such that at infinity the electric
field E is Z (r'cos 0- 6 sin 0), where r'and 6 are unit vectors in the directions of r and
0 increasing and Z is a constant.
All quantities referring to the drop fluid are distinguished by a tilde. It is assumed
that inertia stresses are small compared with those due to viscosity, so that the
induced motion is a Stokes flow. The relevant equations of motion thus are
1tVx(Vxv)=-Vp, /AVx(Vxiv)=-Vp (3)
57V =0O 7VV= O. (4)
The boundary conditions at the surface of the drop are as follows: (i) normal veloci-
ties vanish; (ii) tangential velocities are continuous; (iii) tangential stresses are
continuous; (iv) normal stresses are discontinuous by T(p-1 +p-1), where T is the
interfacial surface tension and Pi, P2 are the principal radii of curvature of the
interface.
Also v tends to zero at infinity and v is finite inside the drop.
In terms of the electric potential such that E =- V0, the electrical requations are
V20 = 0, V20 = 0. (5)
The boundary conditions satisfied at the surface of the drop are
Et= Rt, REn=E n, (6)
where the suffices t, n refer respectively to the tangential and normal components.
(Torza et al. 1970 have shown that convection of charges at the interface can be
ignored.) Also E is finite inside the drop, and E approaches Z(r cos 0- Osin 0) as
r tends to infinity.
Solving the fluid motion equations is relatively simple. Satisfying the boundary
conditions is more formidable, and it is here that our analysis goes beyond that of
Taylor.

3. THE BOUNDARY CONDITIONS

Taylor assumed that the drop departs only slightly from a spherical shape, and so
the boundary conditions which strictly ought to be satisfied at the surface
r = a(1 ?f(O))
may be applied as if the surface were the sphere r = a, To proceed beyond this

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 Taylor'8 electrohydrodynamic theory 501

approximation,we assume that in the steady state the drop surfaceis given by the
equation r = a(I +?mf1(0)+?,2f2(0) + ...), (7)

where i is a small parameter,to be definedlater (equation (60)). All boundary con-

ditions imposed at the surface (7) are then transformedinto equations satisfied at
r = a (this is notthe same as replacingthe actual surface by a sphere). The electric
field distribution around the drop is next determined correct to first orderin 'u; in
so doing it is convenient, though not necessary, to assume a functional form for
f1(O),this assumption being justified a posteriori.The tangential and normal com-
ponents of the electricstressexerted on the droparethen calculated,and the induced
velocity field is determinedto the same orderfrom the tangential stress. Finally the
equation of normal stress is used to derive exact expressionsfor bothf1(O)andf2(0).
We first relate the tangential and normal components of the velocity and of the
stress across the deformed surface to the correspondingpolar components. The
tangent plane to the surface (7) makes an angle with the 0-directionequal (to first
orderin u)to muf1/DO. Thus to the same orderthe normaland tangential components
of any vector A at the surface are related to the polar componentsby

AnA- Jf!aO (8)

At = A?+mfiAr, (9)

and the normaland tangential componentsof the stress acrossthe surfaceare related
to the polar components of the stress tensor by

Pn =Prr-2Tu IPro, (10)

Of1
Pt = Pro+M i (Prr-Poo) )

In these equations the expressions on the right are evaluated on the surface (7).
We assume that an expansion of the form
az = 2+ . ..
azo+ Mazl+ w20z2 (12)
applies for all physical quantities ax.Then, using a Taylor expansion, we find

An=Aor+U (Alr+afiD aor1A o ), (13)

At= Aoo+m (Alo+afia, o+aiAor), (14)

Pn = Porr+7 (PIrr + afOrr 2a PorO) (15)

Pt = Poro+M (Piro+ af-rOr + a! (PPrr-P0))o

DOor ,(6

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 502 0. 0. Ajayi
to first order in m, where the expressions on the right hand sides of these equations
are now to be evaluated at r = a.

4. THE ELECTRIC FIELD

The potentials, 0, (k and electric fields E, E satisfy equations of the form (12),
with
V20 P= 0, V20i = 0 (i = 0 , 2,...). (17)

From the boundary conditions Et = t, RE, = R at the drop surface, using equa-
tions (13) and (14), the boundary conditions at r = a are found to be, to zero order in

E06 =EBoo REOr =Ori (18)

and to first order in vy

E1?+af1 D0+8aflorE =RIO +af Dr+ AREor) (19)

R r + afi Drr
OEir flE) + afi Or ah ? (20)

It is elementary to show that the appropriate zero order solution is

R-1 a2\
0 = -Z r+ 2o s2) os0 (21)

3RZ
To = -2R trcosO. (22)

In order to determine 01 and 01 it is necessary to knowf1 (0). Anticipating results

proved later, f1(0) is assumed to be of form AP2(y), where P.(,) is the Legendre
polynomial and y = cos 0. The appropriate forms for 01 and 4P1then are
a3 a5
1= 2 COS 0 0?G1
+ - P3(y), (23)

- ~~~~~r3
01 = F1rcos0?+1- P3(y) (24)

The conditions (19) and (20) yield four equations for determining F1, Q1, P1, G1,
from which
F1 = 6Z(1 -R)2 A/5(2R + 1)2, (25)

G1 = 9Z(1 -R) A/5(2R + 1), (26)

F1 = -18ZR(1-R) A/5(2R + 1)2, (27)

1-= 0. (28)

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 Taylor's electrohydrodynamic theory 503
The normal and tangential stresses exerted on the interface by the electric field
are given by
(P.)E= 2[ (n-t )6(n- t2

= e[(1-QR2) En-(I -Q) E 2], (29)

(Pt)E =-eEtE.n- e-t -Rn,

= 6(1 -QR)Et En. (30)

On using equations (18)-(28), the zero-order and first-order parts of (Pn)E and
(Pt)E are found to be

(1~n)E = 6al[I + QRJ2_2R2 + 2(1 + R2 - 2QR2)P2(y)]

(Pot)E = -PR( 1-QR) P2(y)sinO, (32)

(Pin)E_ Az[(l +R2 - 2QR2) (345P4(y) - (2- - 2K) P2(y) - ) + K(I + QR2 2R2)],
(33)
(Plt)E = - AIAR(1 - QR) sin 0 { 3 P4(y) + (2K - {) P'(y)}, (34)
where primes denote differentiations with respect to y, and

a
R( + W)nf 25 1 +2R'
(211+1)' 51+2K(35)
A 9c6Z2 1-R

5. INDUCED FLUID MOTION

As noted in ? 1, the tangential stress (Pt)E sets the fluid in motion both inside and
outside the drop, the induced motion being a Stokes flow governed by equations
(3) and (4). Following Lamb (I932, art. 336) we can write here

V - bn {(2-n) r2VT7r
+ 2(n + 1) rTr.} a2y, ne.V71T, (36)
n n

vr = {(n+ 1) CnV(On (37)

n n

where 7rn= anr-n-1Pn(), (On= a-n-1rnPn(y). (38)

The corresponding values of the pressure and of the Stokes stream function 1 are
p = const. +, E 2n(2n-1b) bn 7r, (39)
n

p= const. +,u (2n + 2) (2n + 3)Bn (On, (40)

n

- sin2
= OE(b r3+ c a2r)af/ay, (41)
n

=
- sin2 0
j (Bn r3+ Cn a2r) a y0n18'. (42)
n

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 504 0. 0. Ajayi
The boundary conditions (i)-(iii) of ? 2, transformed into conditions imposed at
r = a, yield to zero order in u
-
=0- V= (43)
0r = V0r = 00 = 64'

(Pot)E + (P0r0)ii = (PorO)1, (44)

where the suffix H refers to the hydrodynamic stress; and, to the first order in vi,

Vlr afl V VO = 0 (45)

Vir + af, - ia Of, = 0 (46)

10 + afar =ar= a-r??' (47)

(Plt)E + + af a + af {(P~rr)-(POOO)HI
(Piro)li (Por6)

(PIro)j + afi ar(Poro)ji+ -6{(POrr),-,(POOo)E} (48)

The zero-order velocity fields involves only the terms with n = 2 in the expansions
(36) and (37). By using the boundary conditions (43) and (44), the zero-order parts of
the coefficients b2, c2,B2,C2 are found to be

=
bo2 = B02 = - 0 -aJRI- QR/(It + 2). (49)
The zero-order stream functions VJ0,PJOare

0= 3bo2cos 0 sin2 0(a2 - a4/r2), (50)

o= 3bo2 cos 0 sin2 0(r5/a3 - r3/a). (51)

The first-order velocity field is given by expansions of form (36) and (37), with the
coefficients bn, etc. replaced by bin, etc. Only the terms n = 2 and n = 4 have non-
vanishing coefficients: the boundary conditions (45)-(48) we find after some algebra
that
02'/
4 = 0-Ab2 C14 --35 4'Ab02
-
02 B 14 52gAb
02'

C4= _A2 (52)

=
6(K+3-!rW)Abo2, c12 =-b 2--1Ab02 (53)

B12 =1b2-7Ab02, C12 =-b12 + 7(5

where W- (It- )/(/A+/) = (I-M)/(I+M). (55)

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 Taylor's electrohydrodynamictheory 505

6. DEFORMATION OF THE DROP

The deformation of the drop is determined by the boundary condition (iv) of ? 2.
Here care is necessary, since the zero-order normal stress determines the first-
order displacement awf1 of the surface, and the first-order stress similarly deter-
mines ai2f2. It may be shown that, correct to terms of order u2,
pj1 +p-1 - (2- rLf1
-m2{Lf2- 2f1(Lf1-f1)})/a, (56)

where Lf = {(l- 2)- }+2f. (57)

Hence the boundary condition yields, to the lowest order in zu

(POJn)E + (Porr)11 - (Porr)H = Tma 1Lf1, (58)

and, to the next order,

(Pin)E + (Pirr)ii + af1 (Porr)1L-2 (Por)0

(Plrr)i-j V r (POrr)l- 2 ) = - Tzua-1(Lf2- 2f1 (Lf -fD)).

(Por@ (59)

In these equations POrr,PIrr,etc. involve the hydrostatic pressures as well as viscous

stresses. Constant terms on the right of the equations can be disregarded, in view of
the arbitrary constants in the expressions (39) and (40) for p and p; a constant part
does indeed appear inf2, but this is not determined by (59), but by the condition that
second-order effects of f1 must not alter the volume of the drop.
The terms on the left of (58) involved only the Legendre function P2(y); thusf1 is
of form AP2(y), as assumed earlier. From this equation A is found to be given by
4TuAa-1 = J {'(I + R2 - 2QR2)+ *R(1 - QR) (2pu+ 3/Z)/(pu+j )}.
The expansion parameter m, so far undefined, we now take as given by
1 aJ /T
s = -(ea/T) (3Z/(1 + 2R) )2.
-= (60)
Then A becomes identical with the Taylor discriminant A of equation (2).
Equation (59) involves terms in P2(y) and P4(y) in addition to the unimportant
constant terms. Since A = A, it is equivalent to
AJ (1 + R2- 2QR2){(2K - 27)P2 + 235P4}
+ 6a-1b12(2,u+ 3A)P2 + a-1Ab2{6( -8Su + 3,u)P2 + (88/t + 1 3,u) P4}
--Twa-zl{Lf2 + 47A2(5P2+ 9P4)} + const.

With the values of A, b12.andbo2given above, this equation can be reduced to

-Lf2 = A2{(24K- )P2+3P4}
+ -L3AR(1 - QR) {(A-W- 3 W2)P2+ (5 + 3LW) P4}+ const.
on simplifying by use of (1), (2) and (55).

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 506 0. 0. Ajayi
Since LP2 -4P2 and LP4 = 18P4, this gives

f2 = A2{- + (6K-1) P2 + 325P4}

t-QR)
+t1AR(I {322A--3-W) P2 + 5( + 2 - W)P41; 6)

the constant term - UA2 is introduced to compensate for the second-order effect of
on the volume of the drop.

7. DISCUSSION
Equations (60) and (61), together with (7) and f1 = AP2, give the shape of the
deformed drop correct to terms of second degree in the perturbation parameter zu,
assumed to be small. Since, from equation (2)
A = (_-R)2 +1R(-QR){2+5(2+3M)/(1+M)} (62)
the deformed drop is certainly prolate if QR < 1, but may be oblate if QR is suffi-
ciently great. This is what was confirmed by Torza et al. (1971), whose class A
systems were prolate, whereas their class C systems were oblate.
Because of the complexity of equations (61) and (62), detailed study of them will
be limited to special cases. The case R = 0 (which corresponds roughly to systems
1 - 14 of Torza et al.) is particularly simple; it gives A = 1, K = 2, and for the shape
of the drop surface, to second order,
r= a{1 +zMP2(y) +2( - 6 +3 5P2() + 3 P4())

Torza et al., who considered only the first-order terms, took as a measure of ellip-
ticity the extension of the drop in the direction of the electric field. Here this
measure of ellipticity is clearly unsuitable: instead, we use the ratio of diameters in
the longitudinal (0 = 0) and transverse (0 -2IT) directions, which is

(1 ?m+ !Am2)/(I -'zu-.9'zu2) 1 + 3u+ 2v3m2.

Thus the effect of the second approximation is the same as to increase m in the
first approximation in the ratio 1 + 456u, and so to increase the drop deformation to
a significant extent.
More general calculations give the same ratio of diameters as equal to 1 + 3ixA
(I + buzl ), where b is less than its value AAfor the case R = 0. For example, for the
case QR = I, 0 < R < 1, we find b = (9K+ 1), K < 5; for the case R 1, M = 1,
b is 116/105. Values of b calculated for each of the 22 systems discussed by Torza et
al. are given in table 1; the values of R, Q and M are taken from Torza et al.
For values of wA of order O.1 the effect of the second-order terms can be to
increase the theoretical ellipticity by 20-25 00. This brings theory closer to experi-
ment for systems 15-22, but the discrepancy is not greatly reduced for systems
1-14, for which deformations sometimes four times those predicted by theory are
observed.
These calculations suggest that higher-order terms in the expansions for the field
and motion cannot remove the discrepancy between theory and experiment. It is, of

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 Taylor's electrohydrodynamictheory 507

TABLE 1. CALCULATED VALUES OF b

system R Q M b
1 3.0 x 10-2 2.3 1.2 2.91
2 7.0x 10-2 2.2 3.2 2.73
3 9.0 x 10-2 1.9 0.2 2.58
4 3.0 x 10-2 2.3 5.0 x 10-2 2.88
5 7.0 x 10-2 2.2 0.14 2.67
6 9.0 x 10-2 1.9 8.0 x 10-3 2.56
7 1.0 x 10-5 12.7 1.0 x 10-4 3.07
8 1.0 x 10-5 12.7 1.0 x 10-4 3.07
9 4.5 x 10-4 13.2 6.0 x 10-5 3.06
10 4.5 x 10-4 13.2 6.0 x 10-5 3.06
11 3.0 x 10-6 29.0 2.0 x 10-4 3.07
12 3.0 x 10-6 29.0 2.0 x 10-4 3.07
13 3.0 x 10-6 29.0 8.0 x 10-6 3.07
14 3.0 x 10-6 29.0 8.0 x 10-6 3.04
15 30.0 0.44 0.15 0.40
16 30.0 0.44 0.83 0.76
17 30.0 0.44 1.85 0.91
18 14.0 0.46 3.0 x 10-2 0.25
19 14.0 0.46 6.0 x 10-2 0.29
20 14.0 0.46 1.34 0.84
21 107.0 0.52 0.5 0.32
22 107.0 0.52 5.4 0.67

course, possible that the whole expansion method is inapplicable, but this appears
unlikely if rA is fairly small. The result is disappointing; the present analysis has
been able to alleviate the situation slightly, but has not succeeded in curing it.

The author is grateful to Professor T. G. Cowling, F.R.S., for his kindness and
generosity in reading through the manuscript and his many useful comments. The
assistance given by Dr C. Sozou is gratefully acknowledged.

REFERENCES
Crane, J. S. & Pohl, M. A. i968 J. electrochem.Soc. 115, 584.
Garton, G. C. & Krasnucki, Z., i964 Proc. R. Soc. Lond. A 280, 211.
Hendricks, C. D. I962 J. Colloid Sci. 17, 249.
Lamb, H. 1932 Hydrodynamics. Cambridge University Press.
Melcher, J. P. & Taylor, Sir G. I. i969 A. Rev. Fluid] Mech. 1, 111.
O'Konski, C. T. & Thacker, H. C. I953 J. phys. Chem. 57, 955.
Sartor, D. 1954 J. Met. 11, 91.
Taylor, Sir G. I. I964 Proc. R. Soc. Lond. A 280, 383.
Taylor, Sir G. I. I966 Proc. Rn Sc.. Lond. A 291, 159.
Torza, S., Cox, R. G. & Mason, S. G. 1971 Phil. Trans. R. Soc. Lond. A 269 295.

Vol. 364. A.

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